2019 AACTA awards were held at The Star in Sydney. The event which has been on Australian soil since 1958 did not disappoint as who’s who in cinema of Australian origin were present. Held annually in recognition and celebration of Australia’s highest achievements in film and television, the AACTA awards presented over 55 awards across two major ceremonies. The peer-assessed AACTA Awards are world-class marker of screen excellence and the only Australian Industry body to honorpractioners across all crafts and industry sectors, including feature film, documentary, short film, television, online, visual effects and animation.
Indus Age covered the 3 day event that was jam packed with lots of surprises. The 1st day kicked off with Red Carpet for the Industry Award luncheon followed by the Award Show held at The Star Event Centre. The Actors, filmmakers and many Industry professionals were on full display with their beautiful dresses, gowns and tuxedo’s on the red carpet. Some of the highlights were Pallavi Sharda the star of Lion and her upcoming movie Tom and Jerry, Damon Herriman who was nominated for Judy and Punch and The Nightingale and the cast and crew of Hotel Mumbai.
The luncheon awards show handed out thirty-two awards; honoring outstanding screen craft and technical achievement across industry sectors. The luncheon was hosted by Australian comedians, Mel Buttle and Matt Okine who had the audience in tears with their commentaries. Some of the winners were Lambs of God which bagged seven out of potential nine awards with Jeffry Walker taking home Best Direction in Television Drama. It was also a win for Australian Indians as Hotel Mumbai received the AACTA award for best editing.
The 2nd day of the AACTA awards were held at The Doltone house in Sydney. The Film Forum was one not to be missed followed by an all inclusive VIP cocktail party with the panelists and participants of the forum. The day kicked off with cross-border World creation of Visual Effects where we learned how the magic of movies such as Iron Man, Wonder Woman and so on are created. This was followed by one of my favorites which was on Actors working in Hollywood, Bollywood and China.
We had a chance to sit down with our very own; Pallavi Sharda, who gave us inside lane into her journey to Bollywood and now into Hollywood. When asked about Women’s representation in Bollywood; Pallavi said “In Bollywood, You’re meant to be an Angelic Goddess Woman who looks perfect all the time which is what being a woman meant to me, but when I went to India it was quite disturbing because it was so detrimental to the audiences’.
We also heard from Remy Hii and Chris Pang of Crazy Rich Asians and how Asian cinema is stronger then ever and making it’s mark globally. The VIP cocktail party was one not to be missed. Getting a chance to talk in depth in as informal setting got us some interesting bites and pictures with our favorite celebrities.
The final day of the 2019 AACTA Awards was the main event. The red carpet with all the nominees and guests was definitely a sight that was not to be missed as everyone pulled out all the stops with their amazing outfits. Indus Age had a chance to catch up with some of the nominees including our very own Australian Indian Director/Producer; Mr Anupam Sharma. “Indian cinema is making big strides in Global Cinema and I couldn’t be prouder of the footprint we are leaving” said Anupam Sharma. Indeed he is correct, as Gully Boy and Andhadhun were up for Best Asian film award category. We also had a chance to speak to some of our Australian talent, and some of them were Channel 7’s; Manu Fieldel, Damon Herriman, Deborah Mailman, Pallavi Sharda, Sam Neil and many more.
The award show was hosted by Shane Jacobson. In another stellar year for the Australian screen industry, The Nightingale, Total Control, Lego Masters Australia, Jennifer Kent, Deborah Mailman, Daniel Herriman and Rachel Griffiths were among the winners announced at the ceremony. Jennifer Kent made history by grabbing three awards for her outstanding film; The Nightingale. She was awarded the Best Direction, Best Screenplay and Best film, of which she was the Producer making her the first woman to have received Awards across three categories in a single year. The audience was also in for a treat as Australian Singer, Jessica Mauboy performed in front of a live audience.
Damon Herriman received his first AACTA Award in a feature film category, winning Best Lead Actor for Judy & Punch. Sam Neil accepted the Longford Lyell Award, Australia’s highest screen accolade for his remarkable career that spans almost five decades with over 130 film and television performance credits to his name.
“The AACTA Awards play a leading role in reinforcing NSW’s position as the creative industries capital of Australia and shine a global spotlight on our local screen industry,” said NSW Minister for Tourism Stuart Ayres. “Through the ongoing support from the NSW Government, we’ve retained our crown as Australia’s premier state for film and television production. The Awards celebrate our very best home grown talent, both in front of and behind the camera and I congratulate all nominees and winners for their collective success.”
(After winning beauty pageants, walking the ramp for top designers and putting her hands into Acting; Simran Gulati was the shining star covering the 2019 AACTA Awards. 2019 has indeed been the year of film festivals for Simran Gulati. She kicked off the year with Cannes Film Festival as the Brand Ambassador for Global Indian Talent, then played an integral part in Indian Film Festival in Melbourne and recently covered the AACTA Awards 2019 festivities in early December for Indus Age.)
Sydney only Snapshot of AACTA Awards 2019 By Simran Gulati added by Indian newspaper Sydney on
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